A Middlesbrough card shop has sparked fury after customers claimed they were told by staff that it couldn’t display Holy Communion cards.
One buyer claims she went into Clinton Cards’ Linthorpe Road store yesterday and was told that head office had instructed that Communion cards could no longer be on display.
Clinton Cards has confirmed that they weren’t on show but apologised for the “inaccurate” advice given to the customer, saying religious ceremonies are cause for celebration.
The woman, who lives in central Middlesbrough, and wishes to remain anonymous, said: “I’d gone in yesterday for a communion card and they had to be taken out of a drawer.
“I asked why they had to be in the drawer and was told that the direction came from head office.
“To me it looked at though they were ashamed to put them out.
“I walked out in protest and thought ‘I don’t want to buy a card off you’.
“There is no way that I will ever go in there again.
“Who are they going to offend by displaying them?
She added: “We all pray to the same God.”
The woman also said that a friend had the same experience in the store when trying to buy a Communion card.
The company issued a statement saying that it doesn’t always have enough space to display all its range of cards.
A spokesman for Clinton Cards said: “We’re sorry for the inaccurate advice given to our customer.
“We have several hundred different cards in stock and only a limited range of these cards are on display in store at any one time.
“The card requested had to be retrieved from the store room.
“We try to display as many cards as possible on the shop floor at one time and there are occasional exceptions due to the extent of our range.
He added: “Religious ceremonies are a cause for celebration for many and we are proud to stock cards that celebrate occasions for a wide range of faiths.”
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